C Gockel Writes

Mistakes were made …

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So this year I’m looking at making approximately 26k less than I made last year. Thankfully, I made more than I needed last year, didn’t spend the money on hats, and am going to be fine.

*Leaves chair, knocks on wood*

Okay, I’m back. Anywho, in the interest of full disclosure and helping to save others my pain, here’s what I think went wrong:

Mistake #1: A new series in a new genre that might not be a fit for me

I had this grand idea that I could release standalones in my I Bring the Fire universe and then have four different books to advertise and use as funnels for I Bring the Fire. I also really wanted to write these books, too. It wasn’t just “give me the money!”

Anywho, in September of 2017 I released Soul Marked, After the Fire Book 1, a standalone, PNR-ish, fantasy in my I Bring the Fire Universe. It got great reviews, but it took three months to earn out in Kindle Unlimited (unlike Archangel Down which I released at $3.99 and earned out first month.) Granted, I released Soul Marked at 99-cents but didn’t promote it to anyone but my list and a few NL swaps. I was planning on saving the advertisers for book 2.

In April I released Magic After Midnight. It has gotten more love and gushing from my fans than just about anything I’ve ever written. A “wicked” stepmother, a Night Elf (please don’t call him a vampire!), two villains getting their happy ever after … What is not to love? Well, no one but my really devoted fans picked it up.

I think both books maybe lacked the “beats” of a romance, and are more fantasy maybe? But they’re too romantic for a lot of fantasy lovers. (Although my male fans who read them really enjoyed both, so I don’t know …)

Which brings me to my next mistake …

Mistake #2: Not releasing Magic into Kindle Unlimited

I don’t have 1,000 peeps who will buy a book in a new series right away. I made the USA Today List, but that was on the back of a BookBub on a box set of the first four books in IBF. I need peeps who’ve never heard of me before to read my books. KU really helps with that when it comes to new readers.

I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to release Magic into Kindle Unlimited because part of it exists wide in an anthology. I have since gotten written permission from Amazon to put it in KU since less than 2% of Magic After Midnight is actually out there. It may be less, I’ve added a lot of detail, changed things up, including the POV in scenes that exist in the short story.

To help propel it out there “in the wild wide” I released Soul Marked wide for the first time and booked ALL the advertisers … and even got a 99-cent BookBub too!

Gonna say right here … all the 99-cent ads except for BookBub were a huge waste of money for a wide book in a two book series.Without the page reads, I did not come close to earning out. (BookBub did earn out.) I wouldn’t have booked the smaller sites but I never thought I’d get a BookBub on Soul Marked. But sure enough, I went wide, and boom: BookBub. The lesson here is apply to BookBub first.

Mistake #3: Not going into Kindle Unlimited immediately after BookBub

If I’d gone immediately into BookBub while my rank was still high I think I would have made a lot more simply by virtue of page reads. Soul Marked and Magic in particular are both long books. But I didn’t. I wanted to see if I could make it without KU. I released just as page reads were getting stripped, and I was nervous. (I am back in KU and STILL nervous.) I tried using Instafreebie magnets to get people to the books. The original Magic short story definitely helped … but not enough. The preview I put on IF didn’t help at all.

Mistake #4: Kindle Unlimited box sets aren’t going to be a savior anymore.

Back in 2016 I was in an amazing box set with Lindsay Buroker, Chris Fox, M.R. Forbes and others. It did phenomenally well, better than I could have done on my own. I thought after the only exclusive content rule was announced (enforced?) that I could always put my standalones in EXCLUSIVE box sets when sales started to lag. I did that with Soul Marked from January 11th-April 11th. In the end, I made about as much money in the box as I would have on my own and it was a lot more work. There just aren’t enough folks with a standalone novel to put into a box set, and we didn’t meet the 3,600 page limit and didn’t max out page reads.

Mistake #5: Not writing a longer series

Every single download of Archangel Down (the first book in my sci-fi “trilogy”) is worth 60% of a single Wolves download (the first book in IBF my USAT series.) I have only two paid books in the Archangel series. In IBF I have one novella, two short stories, and five novels. The thing is it’s HARDER and more expensive to get sci-fi downloads. It seems to be less popular than UF, and newsletters don’t perform as well. If I earn more on each download, it will even out. The way to earn more is to write a longer series.

Mistake #6: Advertising Blitzcrieg changes

Every month from late 2013 thru the end of 2017 I would have advertising Blitzkriegs. I would line up a heavy hitter like Freebooksy, Robin Reads, BookBarbarian, BookSends, Riffle, or BookGorilla with some not so heavy hitters that are good values. I would never use any advertiser more than once in 6 months. This year, I decided I would try something new: lining up all the non-BookBub advertisers over the course of a few short days. This isn’t a good idea. I didn’t get the absolute number of downloads I expected and now I can’t advertise either Archangel or Wolves with newsletter services for another few months. Which means that the new book I have in the Archangel series will have to wait until October to release it if I want advertising of my first in series to be effective.

Mistake #7: Standalones don’t sell as well (unless you’re a better writer than me?)

Archangel and IBF have overarching storylines. I think that really helped drive sales to the next in series. Also, it really makes permafree a viable strategy. 99-cents is so much more expensive to advertise with and the results are so much less spectacular.

A few things that went right:

  • Archangel Down is doing well wide. Two series that do decently is a pretty monumental achievement. I’m overwhelmed and grateful to all my fans.
  • Soul Marked is a great funnel to I Bring the Fire despite few shared characters. The month I got the 99-cent BookBub I did no other advertising for I Bring the Fire and my downloads didn’t go down but my sell-thru increased. So my original idea wasn’t totally daft. Sadly, except for BookBub (and probably ENT) it was still too expensive to advertise at 99-cents with a wide book.

How I’m adapting:

  • I’m writing more in Archangel. I’ve got book 4 with my beta readers right now, and I’m about ready to start writing book 5.
  • Book 4 in Archangel is a STANDALONE, I’ll be able to advertise it everywhere, even FKTips when the time comes but it will still be on the same series page.
  • Book 5 might be readable as a standalone too. Same characters, but I have in mind an awesome action packed intro sequence that might explain the characters and universe pretty well.
  • Soul Marked and Magic are in KU. I plan to advertise Magic and Soul Marked with Countdown deals. Hopefully that will make advertising at 99-cents not as expensive and boosts downloads of I Bring the Fire.
  • Returning to my previous advertising schedule/strategy.
  • Getting cheaper health insurance this fall. I may go with an HMO with the good hospital near my house instead of the POS I currently have that doesn’t cover the good hospital, isn’t as convenient, and is more expensive.
  • Learning to update WordPress myself. I used to be a techie.  >:(

I will probably come back and write one more book in the After the Fire trilogy, because there is a character/situation that won’t get out of my brain. But it might be a few years. It will be a standalone though, and the series has no momentum anyway, so I think it will be okay. Then I’ll box up the whole trilogy, and hopefully get a ‘Bub on it and more sales to IBF. Funnels are still king!

A New Box Set – FREE as of Posting

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Bad Magic 10 Novels with Demons, Djinn, Werewolves, Vampires, and Rogue Gods

FREE at: Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, & GooglePlay

Christine Pope and I have created a new box set! This set has Christine’s Chosen and my Wolves in it, but the rest of the titles are brand new and some have never been offered free before!

Bad magic can be so good …

These 10 full-length novels of paranormal romance and urban fantasy will keep you on the edge of your seat and up past the witching hour. Black magic, adventure, and romance … they’re all here.

Something this good can’t last forever … download this set before it’s gone!

About the Books:

Chosen by Christine Pope
When a fatal fever nearly wipes out the entire world’s population, the survivors of what became known as “the Dying” believe the worst is in the past …

Dead Rising by Debra Dunbar
Solaria Ainsworth was born a Templar, destined to take up the mantle of responsibility and duty as her family’s Order had done for hundreds of years.
Except she refuses to take her Oath of Knighthood.

Hidden Blade by Pippa DaCosta
Kicked out of the underworld and cursed to walk this Earth for all eternity, Ace Dante is not the hero New York needs, but when Egyptian gods start killing, Ace is the city’s only defense.

Wolves by C. Gockel
When Amy prays for help, Loki the Norse God of Mischief and Chaos isn’t the savior she has in mind.

Bitter Ashes by Sara C. Roethle
She’s not their long lost fairy princess, she’s their executioner. Legends of Norse Myth and Necromancy collide in this fast-paced Urban Fantasy with a dark romantic twist.

The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer
For 5 years, Charlie has lived as a boy in the slums, but when she’s arrested, her only means of escape lies with raising the dead. Now people are hunting her for her necromancy, but only one man succeeds in capturing her: a man known as Death, as compelling as he is frightening.

Nefertiti’s Heart by A.W. Exley
1861. In a steam and mechanically powered London, feisty Cara Devon uses her dead father’s secret notebook as a guide in her pursuit of powerful ancient artifacts.

Lost Wolf by Stacy Claflin
She’s hiding a dark secret. It already killed her once.

Thunder Hunter by Rachel Medhurst
For Thor to Live, Thunder Hunter must die. For a thousand years, Thor’s power has been inside Trygger. Can he finally defeat the Fallen Ones to give it back?

Sorceress Awakening by Lisa Blackwood
When Lillian finds herself facing off against vampires, help comes from an unlikely source—the stone gargoyle who has been sleeping in her garden. In a heartbeat, her ordinary life becomes far more complicated, and if her overprotective, shape-shifting guardian is to be believed, there’s an evil demi-goddess just waiting for the chance to enslave them both.

Download FREE at: Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, & GooglePlay

A New Adventure In the I Bring the Fire Universe

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Vampires of the Carribbean

Introducing Vampires of The Caribbean, a short story anthology by bestselling authors like Debra Dunbar, Shawntelle Madison, Mandy Roth, and more!

Currently unavailable

 My Story  in the collection, Someday My Count Will Come, is a new adventure in the I Bring the Fire Universe and features a cameo by Loki! Someday  features Count Darerick Razvano Noapt (aka Dare) a Night Elf *cough*. Dare is ancient. He’s keeping secrets from his own kind and seeking a Night Elf that has gone renegade. Penny is only twenty-four, seeking her lost sister, and hiding a secret as well. To save themselves, and save Dare’s people, they might have to risk letting their secrets go. Here’s an excerpt:

They haven’t gone ten paces when Loki stops and says, “I’m forgetting something … I know I am. You’re to go to Orlando …”

“In Florida.” Dare winces. It’s probably sunny there, and warm places usually have snakes … and spiders.

Spinning clumsily, Loki blinks at him. “Lovely weather in early spring, which it is there by the way. Sunshine, warm even at night, you won’t need a sweater. Think of it as a vacation.”

“I’m a Night Elf,” Dare says flatly.

“Vampire,” Loki says.

“A vacation for me would be Moscow in December,” Dare mutters.

Loki stares at him a moment, and then gives a crooked grin. “I suppose so.” He snorts, and then snaps his fingers. A spark jumps into the undergrowth and Dare stamps it out.

Someday takes place before the events of Wolves. Besides Someday there are nine other stories by amazing authors.

 

 

New Release: Rush a Novellette in the I Bring the Fire Universe, part of the Once Upon a Kiss Anthology

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Available for only 99-cents at  Nook | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
Amazon: US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Once Upon a Curse Yep, I wrote a story about Rush, everyone’s least favorite SEAL. It’s a play on Beauty and the Beast and can be read as a standalone. I think everyone deserves a path to redemption, even him. Here’s a little excerpt:

“Why shouldn’t I kill him again?” Bohdi asks, turning back to his girlfriend.

Putting her hands on her hips, Lewis stamps her foot. “You shouldn’t hurt him because I can take care of myself.”

Maybe it is because Rush’s not in a cone of heat and he can feel Bohdi’s mood isn’t quite as murderous as before, maybe it’s because he likes to be cocky in the face of danger, maybe it’s because of adrenaline, but he lets out a long, “Pfft!”

Lewis and Bohdi both look at him.

Rolling his eyes, Rush says, “Come on, Lewis, you can’t hurt anybody.” It’s the truth. Lewis may have magic that rivals Patel’s and the mayor’s, but Lewis can’t hurt a fly. Literally, she cannot. If she fires a gun, it won’t hit a living target. If she tries to step on a roach, her foot will slip.

Lewis gets very still. Patel takes a step back from Rush and cocks his head.

“I’m just telling it like it is,” Rush says. Without Rush, Bohdi, and the team, her life would be a lot more difficult.

One of Lewis’s delicate little nostrils flare, and it’s kind of funny, like looking at an angry bunny. Rush smirks.

Lewis’s eyes narrow. “You’re right, Rush, I can’t hurt you.”

Rush smiles triumphantly. Lewis strolls toward him, and Bohdi coughs into his hand.

“But I can fix you,” she croons.

“I’m not injured, but thanks.” Rush grins.

Stopping three feet away from him, Lewis drawls, “Rush, you unrepentant misogynist, if you don’t develop a meaningful relationship with a woman in the next fourteen days, your penis will never work again.”

So yes, Rush has some fun times in this story. Okay, not really, he has dismal times in this story, but it’s also funny, moving, everyone who has read it has loved it, and there is a happy ending. (Hey, not that kind of “happy ending!”)

Besides my story, there are 16 other fantastic fairy tale retellings. So what are you waiting for? Pick up Rush as part of the Once Upon a Kiss anthology at Nook | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay |Amazon: US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia it’s only 99¢ for now, but we’ll be raising the price soon.

Ragnarok is Now Available in Audiobook Format!

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Ragnarok_Large

If you own the Kindle version it is only $3.47 to purchase the audiobook from Audible! If you don’t own the Kindle version, the least expensive option is an Audible trial, or to request your local library purchase it. However, if you are an iBooks fan–or Audible is unavailable in your country–you can get it on iBooks, and it’s also available from Barnes & Noble.

It isn’t announced anywhere … but my publishers snuck The Fire Bringers in at the end, just like the slipped The Slip in at the end of Fates.

 

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